TigerandDog

that maybe true, YET thousands of women in western countries VOLUNTARILY work as escorts or in brothels, and for many of them it's either a 2nd income or their main source of income. I knew 4 women in Sydney ( who were neighbours ), who when in their late teens to their mid 30's, had university degrees AND good paying jobs BUT still did this kind of work. When I asked them why, I was surprised by their replies. It was the ONLY way they could satisfy their libidos. They also said that many women in the sex industry in Sydney and other aussie capital cities were in it for the sex and not the money. So all the holier than thou sanctimonious pr**ks need to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror before being so judgmental. While this may not be the case here in Thailand, there are just as many that try the sex industry and leave after 1 or 2 weeks because it's not for them. Just in case your comments are derived from an over zealous religious upbringing, remember that Mary Magdalen was a prostitute, BUT JC didn't condemn her for her occupation but judged her for the person she was. Some historical documents even believe that JC married her. So those without sin cast the first stone.

you sanctimonious pr**k

I'm not a big earning, big spending foreigner BUT I reckon I contribute more to the Thai economy than any individual high spending tourist. In my time here ( 7 years ) I've purchased 2 cars ( both new ) and paid cash for the 2nd one, purchased 2 mobile phones ( expensive ones ), furnished my wife's new bungalow, obviously use local restaurants etc., support local sporting organisations ( golf & cycling ) and I'm currently building a new house with a total budget for construction and furniture of several million baht. So this combined with what other long term expats contribute to the Thai economy, long term, is in reality more beneficial to the Thai economy, especially local regional economies, than what any tourist might contribute, especially when very littel is spent by Chinese and Indian tourists, and what they do spend is at predetermined businesses and most of that money flows out of Thailand back to India & China.

I spoke with an IO Captain that I know about these changes and he confirmed that what Joe says about the 400/40k is correct, BUT he expects most will encounter problems when they do their next extension AFTER 1 Sept ( e.g. April 2023 ) they will most likely be required to have increased their insurance from 1 Sept 2022 PLUS have the ensuing 12 months insurance at the new level. Even if his advice is wrong, I'm going to have my insurance at the new level, effective from May 2022 when my next extension is due, to eliminate the possibility of hassles come May 2023 should that scenario eventuate..

I don't agree with you about the cycling clubs being defunct. In the district where I am in NE CM there are at least 6 or 7 cycling clubs that I'm aware of. Only last weekend 3 of the clubs rode 110kms together.

I would have to say yes. Coming up in February there are 2 big cycling races, K.O.M on Doi Ang Khang and the following week Doi Inthanon Challenge. Generally both these events attract hundreds of cyclists of all levels, from pros to social cyclists, and especially international cyclists. Although I don't expect to many foreigners next year unless they are already residing here. Also on boxing day in Chiang Rai there is the annual Chiang Rai Road Classic, which again conducts races for all levels of cycling and the distances to choose from are 25kms, 50kms, 100kms or 140kms. Again always large numbers in attendance, and I expect to see similar numbers again this year.

there are lights at some but not all. We've just had the highway here expanded from single lane each way to dual lane each way with median strips all along the new road construction. Every U Turn has street lights BUT only about 1/2 of them ever work.

who cares how he's sleeping. Shouldn't even get a mention in the media.

Not every U Turn has a dedicated lane. There are plenty of U turns in this part of the country without a dedicated lane. The other problem is, even when there is a dedicated lane, Thai drivers are too impatient to wait until it's clear and safe to go.

That's an easy statement to make AFTER the OP clearly states she was eliminated, and Miss India won.

I agree to an extent that they're equally to blame, but I was specifically referring to the drive over the mountains, with single lane each way and hairpin bend after hairpin, where the minivan drivers try to bully their way past. A perfect example of that was the moron that tried overtaking the minivan he was travelling with on a steep downhill hairpin on the Doi Ang Khang road, crashed the van and killed one of the passengers. My personal experience of travelling in minivans has not been pleasant. They all think they're formula 1 drivers, and that the road belongs to them and nobody else. You can be doing 120, they still want to pass you doing anywhere between 160-180. Absolutely no concept of road safety or being responsible for their passengers. Slow vehicles in the wrong lane or not, they are road bullies.

Now that the country is allegedly open again, and locals are back travelling, the big thing I noticed when driving from Chiang Mai to my home in Fang was the following: #1. The large increase in Bangkok number plates and the extremely dangerous, crazies driving those vehicles, in particular those in mercs, bmw's and other high end vehicles. They seem to think because they drive a top of the line vehicle that the road is for them and them alone. #2. The selfish mini van road bullies are back in force, speeding, overtaking on blind corners and tail gating the cars in front of them to intimidate them to get out of their way, and not giving a rats about the safety of their passengers or other road users.

I could be classed as a jack of all trades. Back in my mid to late 20's I was a professional squash coach and squash court manager, after spending the previous 9 years, straight out of school, as a NSW Public Servant. When I seriously injured my lower back playing squash in 1978 I returned to office work doing payroll. On weekends during the 80's I became a soccer referee and refereed National Youth League in Oz. Around 1990 turned to my other interest which was golf, and also dabbled in caddying at professional tournaments. Went full time caddying in OZ in 1991 on both the men's and women's tours, and then proceeded to venture to the Ladies European Tour and the European Seniors tour. Retired from caddying in 2002 and returned to office work doing payroll until 2014. Retired at age 64, 1 year after being treated for cancer. Moved to Thailand in October 2014 and have never looked back. No regrets whatsoever, and have no intention of EVER returning to Oz.

The info your wife received re mRNA not being acceptable if the first dose was Sinovac according to THG was wrong. If Sinovac or Sinopharm was the first jab received, then THG have published a chart clearly showing that after either of these as a first jab, you must wait for 2 months before you can receive Moderna as a 2nd jab. My wife and I, as well as some friends, registered with THG to receive Moderna and part of the registration process was to advise how many jabs, if any, had been received and which vaccine. The chart was included in the registration form advising the periods that had to be waited before receiving it as either a 2nd or booster jab. I have posted the chart in another thread several weeks ago as support for that statement when it was refuted by some members.

yeah it is. It is currently being offered to some as a free vaccine in Chiang Mai while those that paid for it have been pushed further back down the queue.

Deemoney rates area actually not as good as the couple of banks and Western Union that are authorised to send wire transfers offshore, and from my recent experience last week those banks all use Western Union, and having a recipient's bank account credited using SWIFT is expensive fee wise for some reason. 1200THB for the first 70k THB and then 300THB for each 30k THB thereafter. Each bank has it's own limits. The only banks I've been able to ascertain that will send money overseas, from an individual's account, are Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank, SCB, Krung Thai Bank and the Agriculture Bank, and even then they will only send under certain circumstances and you MUST produce documentation to support your reason for sending the money. So in my case I will have to use Deemoney and cop the higher rate but gain on the fees. Deemoney were quite surprised yesterday when I emailed them the rates for Western Union and the aforementioned banks when their FX rates were higher than WU and the banks, especially as they advertise as having the lowest rates. However, their fees are considerably lower, and if you've never used them before your first transaction has no fees. They do have a maximum of 800k THB per transaction.

the fact that you're not officially married means that you will need a Thai will for your wife to inherit those funds.

the need for the funds to be in an account in your name only, and not a joint account, have been mentioned time and time again in this forum over the years.

A google search shows that "Kastam" is Malaysian Customs.

Yes it did. Read the OP again. I've pasted the relevant section here for you to see. "Krasang police proceeded to take the matter to court where negligent driving was confirmed and after the intervention of the Office of Insurance Commission the insurance company involved was told to pay 2.5 million baht within seven days from September 15th. " Therefore the court can prosecute the insurance company for contempt of court. That process isn't taking legal action, it's acting against an individual or business that has refused/ignored an order handed down by the court, which is legally binding.

the fact of the matter is she doesn't have to take them to court. All she needs to do is advise the court where it was ruled that the insurance company had to pay, and the court should ( I emphasise should ) take all the necessary legal actions to enforce the insurance payment, and then prosecute the insurance company & it's directors from contempt of court.

Just another Saturday night for our district, but this time with a shootout. The number of drug busts here lately has been ever increasing, but they don't even scratch the surface of the drug trafficking that goes on from this region.

that is true, but CM have always required a copy of it for the 7 years I've been doing extensions here.

Medical insurance IS definitely increasing. In fact for NEW O-A, O-X and possibly O visa applications it has already increased to minimum 3 million baht cover, including covid, effective from 1 October this year. I have received confirmation from my health insurance company and a golf friend, who is an Immigration Police Captain, that the increase in health insurance will also be required for extensions of stay with effect from 1st Sept 2022. I also note that Integrity Legal did not point out what Joe had pointed out in a previous post on this topic. The consulate web site that is being referred to has this new information posted under their E-Visa section. The existing requirements are still posted under the requirements for Non Imm O-A based on retirement. So once again we have conflicting information on a Thai Govt web site which just continues to add to the confusion. However, that being said, with the increase in health insurance already in the works, it will only be a matter of time before the financial requirements are increased too. One thing that will be interesting to see is whether the financial requirements will be grandfathered as they have been for increases in the past.

This topic is a joke. I have Thai friends who were there last week. They posted photos online at the entrance paying their entry fee and then photos inside the national park and at Doi Inthanon. There was no advance booking required and they did not have to have RT-PCR antigen test. However, they did have top prove they had been double jabbed.